Ghost Pepper Consuming very spicy chilies caused esophageal perforation

Man suffers esophageal perforation by Bhut Jolokia-Chilis
How spicy people are allowed to eat? Can spicy food cause serious damage to your health? Yes, it can, as a recent case in the US shows. In a competition, a dramatic emergency occurred. San Francisco University (UCSF) physicians are currently reporting a spontaneous esophageal perforation (Boerhaave syndrome) in a patient after eating particularly hot chillies as part of a food competition. The "Bhut Jolokia" or "Ghost pepper" chilies have literally burned a hole in the man's esophagus.

Although physical symptoms are very normal for especially spicy food, these are generally kept within limits. In addition to the burning in the mouth and throat, may tear eyes, the nose starts to run and we start to sweat. But the 47-year-old patient from the US has experienced far worse. The consumption of Bhut Jolokia, which was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest chili peppers in the world for more than a million scovils, caused him to perforate the esophagus. The case, which had already happened last year, is currently being reported in the journal "Journal of Emergency Medicine".

By eating Bhut Jolokia chillies, a man has suffered a life-threatening perforation of the esophagus. (Image: Brent Hofacker / fotolia.com)

Severe chest and abdominal pain
According to the medical team, the 47-year-old man with severe abdominal and chest pain was admitted to the Emergency Department of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UCSF following severe choking and vomiting. The patient had previously consumed larger quantities of a Bhut Jolokia sauce as part of a food competition. According to the doctors, the immediately initiated X-ray examination of the thorax revealed a left-sided pleural effusion (fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity), which made further action urgently necessary. Computed tomography also revealed "air around the distal esophagus, suggesting spontaneous esophageal perforation and left-sided pneumothorax," the doctors write.

Esophageal perforation is a life-threatening emergency
The patient was intubated and promptly initiated surgery to reveal a 2.5 cm long esophageal tear through which fluid and food particles had leaked. Also, a left-sided pneumothorax had formed. The doctors were able to save the life of the man, however, and after just over three weeks, he was able to leave the hospital again. Although spontaneous esophageal perforation or Boerhaave syndrome is a rare disease, but show a high mortality rate, the doctors warn. "This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life-threatening surgical emergency that may initially be interpreted as a discomfort following a large, spicy meal," the researchers conclude. (Fp)